I know that I've talked about Narnia before on my previous blog (the beloved i will live my life as a lobsterman's wife), but let's talk some more. While I watch the movie. And skip all the parts High King Peter the Magnificent isn't in. In my writing class today, my professor mentioned how the writers of today are being so greatly influenced by cinema. And I think that is very accurate. The line between book and screen has been blurred over the past few years. Just take Harry Potter. The books and the movies were so closely linked. I know for a fact that one designer used silver sheets to decorate Grimmauld Place, and J.K. Rowling in later books described the exact fabrics used. She took something from the set and it made its way into her books. If that happened with a bit of shiny fabric, I'm sure that other things, like character traits and habits made it in as well.
But that isn't what I'm here to talk about. That's a whole other can of worms, actually, as that is referring to the cinematic generation of an author's work who is still in the process of writing more material. Most books that are turned into movies these days have already been written. But it is true--I think scenes and books in general have become much more action driven. Scenes are being written as if meant to be on screen. Just take the Hunger Games. I will bet any amount of money that Suzanne Collins had the movie playing in her head when she was writing. She created a very commercialized book that had every aspect of teenage drama imaginable. The teenagers were quite literally killing each other while being rather hormonal. Now, I'm not saying this is a bad thing (the commercializing, not the killing--that's not good). I'm just pointing out how, really, I don't think writing will ever be the same. Not with our generation surrounded with media of all sorts. There is no way that we, as writers, can avoid it. We do need to procrastinate, after all.
Now, on to Narnia. Sorry, that was a bit of a long sidebar. Here is something I would like to point out: this book (and the movie) is all about the power of innocence and childhood. In both The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe and Prince Caspian, all the good guys are either children or animals. True, the dwarfs in Narnia are technically adults, but they are the size of children and act rather childishly throughout the book. Even when the Pevensie children "grow up" in TLTWTW, they don't really. They just run around talking how children think kings and queens should talk, saying things like, "Yes, let's go hither," and other things I cannot remember because I just gave my book to Lena. C.S. Lewis had this thing about life, where he thought that once you grew up, you were damned. Once you grew up, that was it. Original sin takes over and well, you might as well just give up, cause you won't make it into heaven. Susan doesn't, and all she wants is nylons and lipstick. And probably a boy. And that really isn't much to ask, now, is it? No. No it isn't. The message: stay a child forever.
Don't worry, I would get into Narnia. I have a wall devoted to Harry Potter and rather intense discussions about Narnia and Hogwarts and the Hunger Games and... well. You get the picture. Plus, I have discovered that I like that Nickelodeon show, iCarly.
Anyways, it's two thirty and I still have to clean my room for my daddy, who is coming tomorrow! Hooray!
Being a grown up is for sissies. Start a Quidditch Team. Run around campus and scream "For Narnia!" and then growl like a lion. Reread your favorite children's book.
For Narnia!
-L.R. Ogden
HA. You are obsessed with this!
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